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CLINTON, S.C. – For the first time in Kennesaw State men's basketball history, three Owls finished the game with 20 or more points to lead KSU to its fourth straight win, 94-84 on Saturday afternoon at Presbyterian in the Templeton Center. KSU used a huge offensive explosion at the start to take control, and then held off a furious late rally by the home team to claim the win and move to 8-3, extending their school record start to the season.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls not only led from start to finish, they held a double-digit advantage for over 33 minutes of the game, as they could not miss from the floor at the start, knocking down 10 of its first 13 shots on the way to a 24-8 just barely six minutes into the contest. KSU would finish the afternoon connecting on a season-high 57.1% (28-of-49) from the floor, including a sizzling 65.5% (19-of-29) in the first half.
ROCK SOLID PLAYER OF THE GAME: Of the three Owls to post 20+ points, forward
Demond Robinson stood out with his ability to knock down shots from all over the court, spreading the Presbyterian defense. The senior made his first eight shots from the floor, including all four of this three-point attempts, on the way to a season-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting, 4-of-5 from three-point land. He tied for the team-lead in scoring with
Jamel King who set a new career-high with his 22 points, while
Simeon Cottle added 20.
THE FIRST HALF: Just a week after a cold start in its last game when they missed six of its first seven, the Owls came out on fire, making eight of its first nine attempts. Cottle put KSU up 10-2 less than three minutes in, and after an answer from the Blue Hose, the Owls again went on a 10-2 spurt. A jumper in the lane by
RJ Johnson would make the score 24-8 in favor of KSU with 13:43 on the clock, and the Owls led comfortably the rest of the half before going into the break up 53-35.
THE SECOND HALF: KSU put up the pace in the second half, going up by as much as 24, 69-45 with 13:40 to play on a King free throw. It was a 19-point edge, 81-62 on another King free throw with 6:58 on the clock when the home team made its run. Back-to-back treys and a fast break dunk fueled an 8-0 spurt, and after Cottle responded with a trey, Presbyterian scored six unanswered to close within single digits at 84-76 with 3:20 to play.
Terrell Burden would convert a key three-point play for the Owls, and after the Blue Hose drained a three-pointer in the final minute to make it a seven-point game, Cottle went 5-of-6 at the line in the final 49 seconds to close out the win.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH ANTOINE PETTWAY
"Thought it was a great job by our guys, coming out ready to play right from the start against a well-coached and hard playing Presbyterian team. I thought our guys competed on the defensive end and got the ball out in transition so we could play our style of play. Three 20-point scorers is a sign of how we were sharing the ball,
Terrell Burden was key in helping to move the ball around and
RJ Johnson came off the bench to play some quality minutes. I thought the team really came together and bonded to get this quality road win.
Armani Harris was a big help for us in the first half off the bench as well. We had some guys out with the flu,
Quincy Ademokoya was playing banged up after taking some hits in practice but he really toughed it out today. They really play hard for each other and have either other's backs. I challenged our team before the game to put their love for each other and their overall grit and toughness on display today and I thought they answered the bell. Super proud of these guys.."
NOTES
-The Owls also shot well from three-point range, knocking down 11-of-26 attempts for 42.3%. That was highlighted by Robinson (4-of-5) and King (4-of-8).
-Burden was the fourth Owl in double-figures, finishing with 15 points and eight assists.
-In addition to their advantage from three, the Owls held a big edge at the free throw line as they connected on 27-of-38 for 71.1%. Presbyterian meanwhile was just 12-of-21 (57.1%).
-KSU has won seven straight against teams currently in the Big South Conference after Tuesday's victory.
-This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls return home for their final non-conference home game of the season, a Tuesday, Dec. 19 contest against Brescia at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center. A number of special ticket deals will be available for the contest, as it's Home for the H-OWL-idays Night, and fans will be able to get photos with Scrappy Claus in the Convocation Center lobby. Faculty and staff tickets for the night in the lower level are just $5, while there is also a Coats for Kids ticket deal, and any fan that brings in a coat to donate will receive a free ticket.
